Lost in the Wilderness
by Magic Kaito
Summary: Set after the death of Radditz, when Piccolo took Gohan and was training him for the arrival of the Saiyans. Will Gohan be able to teach Piccolo a thing or two?


**Notice: **This is no longer a songfic. Just... imagine the lyrics.

Lost in the Wilderness

AN: I do not own Dragonball Z.

* * *

Piccolo carried the boy to a desolate wasteland, hundreds of miles away from where the child's father was just killed. "I don't know why I'm so concerned," he thought. "I finally destroyed my mortal enemy, though it was one of those foolish sacrifice methods that the weak use. But this boy is special. He showed incredible power back there. If only he could harness it, we could easily defeat those other two that are supposed to be coming."

Piccolo found a spot that he thought would be adequate to leave Goku's son, just to see how well he could handle the wild on his own. "That ought to be a good first excretes," he said to himself. "I can see how he works and thinks before the real training begins." The boy, however, was still unconscious from the preceding battle and Piccolo knew he had to wake him before anything could start.

He dropped him into a nearby pond. The small child immediately awoke, sputtered about for a bit, and finally regained himself. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "What happened! Where I am? Where's my dad!"

"Calm down, kid," Piccolo replied, looking down in disgust as he realized what he now had to do. "Your dad was hurt pretty badly back there. He didn't make it." Gohan looked like he was going explode into tears.

"However," he continued, knowing that this would comfort the child but not him, "he'll be back really soon. They can wish him back to life shortly." The wet little boy smiled again.

"For now, I'm going to be your teacher," Piccolo said next. "We're going to need your help in fighting two stronger guys that your crazy uncle said were coming in a year."

"Huh?" Gohan exclaimed nervously. "But... I don't know how to fight or anything like that! That's my dad's job! And where's my mom? Does she know about this, because I'm gonna need my text books if I'll be away..."

"Shut up!" Piccolo screamed, silencing the whimpering boy. "You won't need anything like that out here. Right now you going to have to figure out how to live in an area like this on your own. Your... studying might help. I'll come back to check on you... sometime."

"Hey, wait!" Gohan exclaimed. "You can't just leave me here by myself! Can't you help? If you want me to be able to fight in a year, you have to do something!"

Piccolo cringed both at the kid's response and who he realized he was helping. "See you later." He flew away.

"Hey! You can't just... leave me out here." Gohan sat down an started crying. "I want my mom! I want to go home! Where's my daddy!"

Piccolo didn't care.

"Now what am I supposed to do?" Gohan said to himself, wiping away his tears. "Where's my mommy? I wonder if she knows where I am." He shivered.

"It's almost dinner time," he thought, looking at the sinking sun. "I wonder what Mom's making. Not like I'll be able to eat it, though. Why did Mr. Piccolo just leave me here? I can't find food and shelter! This isn't fair."

Gohan had said aloud these last three sentences, and Piccolo heard them as he flew off to watch over the boy from a distance. "I know it's not fair," he said. "You'll have to learn, kid. That's the whole point of this, to see how much you can stand up to."

"I grew up in places like this," Piccolo thought. "I had to learn everything on my own. This boy should have no problems out here. I won't help him unless he really needs it." Gohan was still in the same place, now with his arms wrapped around his legs trying to keep warm.

"How can he have so much power and not know about it?" Piccolo said softly. "It doesn't make sense. Why hasn't Goku trained him, anyway? Probably something to do with his wife. It's hard to believe that a fighter like him could be tied down by something like that. Affection makes one weak." By now, Piccolo had reached what he thought to be an adequate position while Gohan was still sitting there whining.

"You have to learn Gohan," Piccolo thought. "You may be our only chance. I can't believe I'm helping Goku, though. What's this world coming to? Oh well, once we beat these Saiyan guys, I'll defeat him once and for all, not through some pathetic sacrificial move, either. I'll have a true victory, and his little pals won't even be able to wish him back." He smiled a little. "He may have great physical strength, but his emotions make him weak. I will be victorious. After all my years of being under him, everyone will finally know and fear the name of Piccolo." Evil laughter ensued.

He suddenly heard a strange noise, and looked down to see that Gohan had moved, partially because he was being chased by a large dinosaur. "Why is everything happening to me today!" the child exclaimed. "Help, somebody! This isn't my day! Where is everybody!"

Piccolo sighed. "You have to survive kid. I know this seems cruel now, but it will help. What have I come down to? After all this time destroying people, I'm helping my arch enemy's son. My life keeps getting worse and worse. But this needs to be done."

* * *

Gohan's tears had been interrupted when he heard the sound of heavy footsteps behind him. He turned to see a giant dinosaur that had decided to make him his after dinner snack. Gohan had been running away and screaming for the last few minutes. The dinosaur was gaining on him, and it was all the small child could do but run and hold his tail to keep it from being eaten.

The dinosaur was closing in on him, though. Piccolo (though not realizing it) unexpectedly readied himself in case he needed some assistance. Gohan was still screaming. The dinosaur's jaws were getting closer and closer to him, though.

"No!" Gohan exclaimed, as he was sure he was reptile food. Suddenly, he found himself on the large top of a tall (but thin) precipice. Piccolo looked on in shock. The dinosaur was utterly confused and, therefore, walked away to make an appointment with his psychiatrist.

"W-what just happened?" Gohan stuttered. "How did I get up here? Oh well, at least I'm not dino-chow. But wait, how am I supposed to get down? Oh no, I'm trapped up here! And I'm getting really hungry, too!"

_

* * *

_

Night was setting on fast, and Gohan was still cold and hungry. "What am I supposed to?" he said to himself. "I'm just a kid! I can't take care of myself!" Suddenly, an apple landed at his feet.

"Huh?" he thought. "Where'd this come from? It must have blown here from a tree. But, there are none around. Hmm... oh well!" He immediately began eating while Piccolo kept watching.

"That's the last time I do that for you," he said. "You're off the hook for now, but from now on, you're on your own, kid." Gohan continued to eat like a starved camel.

"Wow, that was good!" Gohan exclaimed once he had finished. "Yum, I needed that!" He turned to look up at the sky.

"Look at all those stars!" he thought. "I've never seen so many before! There's too many trees where I live! And look at the moon! Cool! I've never seen a moon that big before..." Gohan's comments were stopped short when a sudden jolt hit his body. It was like something snapped, and he remembered no more...

Piccolo was still watching when he noticed a sudden change in the boy. He was looking a little strange, even for him. "What... what is this?" he thought.

Suddenly, Gohan began screaming. Hair was beginning to form at an astounding rate and his size was increasing dramatically.

"Whoa," Piccolo said. "That can't be right! Isn't he a little young for puberty!" But the child continued changing into... into a large ape! And apparently all this monster wanted to do was destroy things. The mountain he had been stranded on crumbled beneath his massive feet.

"Oh no," Piccolo thought and prepared himself for battle. He knew that they wouldn't get anywhere if he remained like this, especially if it happened every twenty-eight days. He flew in to attack the monster.

"Gohan, snap out of it!" he cried but to no avail. After a long and intense battle that I just don't feel like writing about, Piccolo finally found a way to make sure the beast would never come back again.

"It has to be the moon," he thought. While the monster was a safe distance away, he turned and fired one of his most powerful attacks on the glowing orb.

BOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM!

When the dust cleared, the moon had been erased from the sky. Gohan slowly reverted back into a boy, but was lacking clothes and immediately passed out.

Piccolo looked down at him, practically disgusted. "Let's make sure this never happens again," he said, ripping of the child's tail. He looked down again, and suddenly used some weird power to zap clothes and a sword on him.

"There," he said. "It looks like your father's uniform, but that symbol stands for me. Good luck. I can see you're gonna need it." Piccolo flew off, while the young boy slept on.

_

* * *

_

Gohan awoke the next morning, remembering not the events of the previous night. "What happened?" he thought. "How'd I get down? I must have fallen. OW! And I'm all sore! I feel like I've been fighting or something. Hey! How'd I get new clothes? Oh well. Hey, I have a sword too! Heh heh, I've gotta see this!"

He stood up to go to a nearby pond to see himself, but suddenly fell down. He tried to stand and balance himself again.

"What's going on!" he exclaimed. "I can't seem to... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! My tail's gone! What could have happened to it! Did it just fall off!" Gohan hobbled down to the waters edge, trying to get used to not have the extra appendage for support.

"Wow," he said, laughing at the image. "Cool! I look kind of like Dad! Ugh... I'm hungry! But where I am supposed to get food?" Gohan looked around, seeing nothing but inedible plants and water.

"Well, at least I can get something to drink!" He bent down and slurped up some water.

Piccolo watched from a faraway perch, and shook his head at the child's stupidity. "This is going to be a long year," he grumbled. "Gohan, if you can't figure this out, then there's no hope for any of us! I know you can live like this! I used to! I even think that your father used to! Just think! There are plenty of things that you can eat if you just..."

Gohan was now sitting on the bank and whining about how hungry he was. Piccolo groaned. "When will this kid learn that sitting there and complaining won't get him anything? You have to find your own food! I'm not gonna help! This is all part of your training, kid, whether you know it or not! Sigh, I must be crazy..."

_

* * *

_

Time passed. One of those periods of time where things happened but it gets too long and boring to write about, plus if you watch the show you can fill in the blanks. In this time period, Gohan finally learned how to fend for himself and that dinosaur tail is yummy.

One day, however, as Gohan was finishing up his breakfast (Dino Tail steak and "those weird berries that make my mouth feel funny"), he looked around. "Why am I doing this, anyway?" he thought. "What does Mr. Piccolo think I am, a monkey or something? How's this gonna help us fight those bad guys? I bet my Mom's really worried about me. I miss her. Maybe I should go home and see her at least. But how can I get away, I'm sure he's watching my every move. Huh..."

Piccolo, trusting that Gohan was fine on his own now, had been in a state of meditation for the last three days. Hovering about six inches off the ground, his angry face covered the fact that only good energy can make one levitate, and he's a villain, which is even weirder. However, since Gohan had no idea of this, he began making plans to distract Piccolo just long enough so he could get away.

A growl from behind shook Gohan from his inventive state. Apparently the local Saber-tooth Tiger had come for another race. Happy to do something other than sit around thinking, Gohan ran away as fast as his little legs could carry him, followed by the eventually panting cat, laughing all the way.

Around the time that the large feline probably would have given up anyway, the two were stopped by a sudden earthquake with a heavy gust of wind. "Whoa! What's going on!" Gohan exclaimed. As the first quivers died down, he and the tiger looked around a large rock to see if they could find the source of the huge natural disturbance. They were both surprised to see a green man in deep meditation levitating a few inches above the ground apparently getting ready to try whatever that technique was again.

"Wow," Gohan said, "Mr. Piccolo did that?" The next wave sent him clinging to another rock while the tiger flew off somewhere else out of this story. Once Gohan retained himself, he suddenly realized the advantage he could take of this situation.

"He's not paying attention to me at all," he thought. "This is the perfect time for me to go home and see my mommy!" He laughed a little bit. "I better get moving!" Gohan went back to his shelter, a small cave in one of the rock surfaces, and grabbed the few possessions he had.

Gohan looked back toward where he had last seen his teacher. "See ya around, Mr. Piccolo!" he said, and took off running. He wasn't quite sure where he would end up, but he knew that somehow, it would take him home.

"This isn't good," Gohan said later on, referring to the large body of water he had just come across. "How am I supposed to get over this?" He looked at his surroundings to see if there was anything that could help him. About all he could find was some vines and a whole bunch of trees.

"That's it!" he suddenly exclaimed, and immediately began cutting down parts of both plants.

A few hours later, the five year old boy had succeeded in making a small raft complete with a sail (don't ask me how he got that). "Ha ha!" he said as he looked at his handy work. "I'm coming, Mom!"

_

* * *

_

Piccolo opened one eye and immediately sensed that something was wrong. "That's strange," he said, flying up into the air and searching the landscape. "The kid doesn't seem to be anywhere. Gohan!" Piccolo began searching throughout the barren wasteland for the child.

"Gohan? Where are you! Erg, this isn't good."

Piccolo could find no sign of the boy anywhere. Nothing that was his seemed to be left at any of his usual storage areas. "Where are you, you stupid boy!" he exclaimed. "I know you're alive somewhere, but where exactly...?"

He re-entered his meditative state, this time intent on finding Gohan's power signal. "Come on," he thought. "You've got to be... there!" Piccolo finally located the child's position, and he realized that it was in the middle of the sea.

"No, he didn't..." Piccolo thought. "That idiot! We'll never get anywhere if he does this!" He took off in search of his run away pupil.

* * *

It had been smooth sailing for Gohan thus far. The little raft sped along over the waves without any signs of trouble what so ever. "Hey, this is kind of fun!" he thought as he directed his sail. "I wonder when I'll reach land. Heck, I wonder where I'll reach land. I hope I'm headed for home.."

As luck usually goes, Gohan had gotten in the middle of a hurricane within the next two hours.

"Oh no!" the small child exclaimed as he desperately tried to gain control of his craft, pieces breaking off every once in a while for the wind and the under tow. "Hold on! I can do this! I think I can, I think I can, I..." His jubilant little speech was cut off as a huge wave crested over the boat and submerged the boy, breaking the raft into pieces.

* * *

Piccolo flew over the endless blue without seeing a sign of the young boy. A small storm was getting weaker off in the distance, but other wise there was no sign of movement except for the fish and the water. He suddenly jolted. "I've lost his energy signal," he thought. "But that doesn't make sense. I'll have to try and find it again..." Piccolo started meditating, hoping to sense the power that undoubtedly belonged to the boy, as other people were on the nearby land.

Two days later, Piccolo still had had no luck, and he was getting really thirsty. "I hope that storm wasn't a typhoon that he got stuck in," he thought, which, due to dramatic irony, was right.

More time passed, and Piccolo's mind searched desperately for any sign of the child. As the sixth day ended with still, no hope, he finally picked something up.

"It's him!" he exclaimed. "It was just too weak for me to find a few days ago. Why didn't I sense it growing? Great, he must be miles ahead of me by now. With my luck he's already home and his mother's waiting with some method of cruel and unusual punishment for me..."

Gohan had actually been staying with the orphans during this time, a period that a) I don't remember very well and b) was pretty much cut out of the dubbed so I can't write about it that well. Eventually, though, Gohan was directed home by the leader of the kids.

He raced through the woods, each area getting more and more familiar, and he knew he was nearing home. "I'm almost there, Mom," Gohan thought as he caught the faint smell of supper cooking. "Just a little bit more..."

Piccolo was really ticked off by this point. As he flew over the tree line, he scanned the ground below looking for some sign of the child, hoping he hadn't made it to his house yet. Piccolo could see the small dwelling in the distance. "Er... Gohan, I know you're around here somewhere!"

He could see it in the distance, home. It seemed like an eternity since he had last been there. He wondered what his mother was doing, what she would do when she saw him, and if his dad was home yet. As he entered his front yard, the excited boy stopped short. It was as if something had dawned on him. He thought about the Saiyans, that Piccolo had said that he was the last hope, and if he didn't do this he wouldn't ever see his mother again anyway.

Gohan looked at the little building he had spent his whole life in. He took a deep breath. "I promise I'll be back soon, Mom!" he exclaimed, and turned around to go back to the wasteland from whence he had come. However, floating in the air behind him, was his mentor.

"That was very clever of you," he said, looking a little angry. "But you made a good decision. Now let's get back. It's obviously time for the next step in your training. And if you think I'm giving you a free ride back, you can forget it, you little sneak!" Piccolo flew off, rather upset.

"Oh man," Gohan whined. "I don't wanna make another boat!" He took one last look at his house and began the long journey back to no where.

* * *

Gohan staggered into his cave, he had finally made it back to the training ground. "Man, I need a nap," he said sleepily, closing his eyes.

"What do you think you're doing!" a voice said in front of him. Gohan opened one eye to see Piccolo standing in the entrance.

"I'm tired," he whined. "I need to sleep."

"We don't have time for sleep!" Piccolo scolded. "We have more training to do, now! Do you think those Saiyans will let you take a nap if you get tired!"

Gohan slowly forced himself to stand. "But I can't focus when I'm this worn out."

"Learn to! You'll get worn out fighting the aliens and you'll have to keep moving!"

"All right, all right," the child muttered, stumbling back outside and looked at the sheer emptiness. "Can we eat first?"

Piccolo groaned. "He's never going to get this," he thought.

"NO!" was the response to the young boy. "You have to learn to deal with these physical problems and keep on fighting! Battles are not won by asking nicely if you can go get a snack in the middle of it!"

"Fine," Gohan replied, and slowly put himself into what he thought to be an adequate fighting position. "Whenever you're..."

He was suddenly interrupted by an attack from Piccolo. After a few minutes of getting his butt kicked, Gohan managed to get away from his teacher. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "That wasn't fair, you didn't tell me we were starting!"

"Do you think the Saiyans are going to ask nicely if you're ready to fight?" Piccolo replied. "Now get ready again. One of us will attack eventually." They both went back into their stances. Nothing happened for several minutes.

"Does he want me to make the first move?" Gohan thought. He's just staring..."

"Guard's down!" Piccolo exclaimed and immediately went in for another attack. Gohan, though dodging much better this time, was still defeated by the green alien.

He looked down at the bruised, beaten, and quivering little boy. "If you can't take this, you'll never be ready to fight them," he said disgustedly. "You're going to have to toughen up, kid. Otherwise, just go home..."

"No!" Gohan answered, struggling to get up. "I... I won't quit. I have to learn! You... you said that everyone was depending on me and I won't... let them down."

Piccolo's eyes widened in astonishment. "He's more like his father than I thought," he said to himself. "Good. There's still a good chance for him, then. And for the rest of the world, for that matter."

"All right," Piccolo said to his pupil. "You can take a break and get some food, but we resume again in exactly two hours. If you aren't here, I'll find you and we'll start whether you're ready or not."

"Really!" the boy replied happily. "Golly, thank you, Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan ran off to look for something to eat and somewhere to sleep.

"Whatever," he mumbled back, and entered a meditative state for two hours.

_

* * *

_

Things continued like this for the next several weeks. Gohan got the hang of this faster than the normal rate, but still not that quickly.

One night, Gohan was talking to Piccolo as they sat around their camp fire. Piccolo didn't really seem to be paying much attention to the boy, though.

"Hey, Mr. Piccolo?" he asked. "Do you have any marshmallows?"

"What?"

"Sorry, I'm just a little tired of dinosaur and berries and stuff. Hey, why do you and my dad fight all the time, anyway?"

"It's a long story, kid," Piccolo replied. "I don't think you'd understand it."

"Oh, cause I wanted to invite you to my birthday party but my mom doesn't allow fighting so I was just wondering..."

"Stop bothering me with this rubbish and get some sleep!" the mentor exclaimed, seeming agitated.

"Okay," Gohan replied meekly, lying down and fallen asleep within a few minutes.

Piccolo looked down at the sleeping boy. He looked so innocent, so vulnerable, and yet he had the most incredible fighting power the world had ever seen. Piccolo reached out his hand, then pulled it back, and finally rested it on the child's head. "I won't let anything happen to you, kid," he thought. "I promise."

* * *

They continued their training, and as they worked, the months passed by. Within time, the boy had become a very good fighter, though the power that he had shown against his uncle still was no where to be seen. Piccolo continued to push him to the limit, though, and when he thought they were getting close, both Piccolo and Gohan felt a strange power coming from far away.

"Oh no!" Piccolo exclaimed. "It's them! All right, Gohan, this is what we've been working for. Do you think you're ready?"

"Yes!" the boy replied. "I can do this!"

"Good, because we aren't training anymore, this is the real thing! Now, you can feel that power, correct?"

Gohan swallowed hard. "Y-yes, Mr. Piccolo. It's huge!"

"Do you think you can take it on?"

"I hope so," he answered.

"Hoping isn't enough, you have to do it!"

"All right, Mr. Piccolo," he answered, suddenly feeling as if he had forgotten everything he had ever learned.

"Well this is interesting," Piccolo suddenly said.

"What is?" the small child asked.

"The Saiyans," he replied. "They're heading straight for us."

"What!" Gohan exclaimed, starting to freak out. "Why here? Why us? What are we supposed to do?"

"I thought I trained you better than this!"

"I'm sorry, I'm just really nervous right now!"

"Well, for one they can probably sense our power levels as the greatest, so they're heading for the biggest challenge. And we are going to stay here and fight!"

"Something else is coming!" Gohan suddenly said nervously.

"Oh," Piccolo said, focusing on some smaller powers coming from another direction. "It must be some of your father's friends coming to help. Don't worry."

"All right," Gohan choked out, trying to look braver than he was feeling.

"This is what I worked for," he thought, trying to lift his spirits. "This is why I've been away from Mom for a year. I have to be strong. They're coming here right now."

"Hey!" a voice behind them suddenly said. "How's it going?" They turned to see a short, bald man heading toward them.

"That's Dad's friend!" Gohan cried. "I remember him!"

"Yep, I'm Krillin," he said to his best friends son. "So your dad hasn't gotten back yet?"

"No, but he should be here soon!" Gohan answered, not really knowing what exactly was going on with that subject.

Krillin looked over at the tall green figure. Piccolo glanced over, meaning that he noticed Krillen's arrival.

"So," Krillin whispered, leaning over to the boy, "what was it like? Training with Piccolo, I mean. No one's ever really been around him that much before."

"It was great!" Gohan replied happily. "Mr. Piccolo's a tough teacher, but he's still really nice."

"Oh," he suddenly said, looking over his shoulder. "The others are coming!"

"Others?"

"That's right, you haven't met them yet," Krillin said. "Don't worry, if they don't introduce themselves, I'll do it for them!"

Piccolo, who had remained silent since the short man's arrival, looked off in the direction that three other power signals were coming from, making Gohan sure that these were good people, too.

"What's up?" said a man with long hair and the same uniform as Krillin. "Wait, is that Gohan? Hi, I'm Yamcha, I've known your Dad for a long time! And he should be here soon, according to Bulma."

"Okay," Gohan replied, a little overwhelmed by this sudden meeting.

"How close are they?" a third strange voice said. Gohan turned to see two fighters, one bald with three eyes and one that was short and white.

"Too close," Yamcha replied. "I hope Goku gets here soon, we're gonna have to hold down the fort for now."

"Is that Goku's boy?" the triclopes asked, looking at the scared child.

"Yep, this is Gohan," Krillin answered, realizing that he was unable to speak just then. "And Gohan, that's Tien, and the other one is Chao Su."

"Uh, hi," Gohan said, quietly.

"Hey, he looks just like Goku!" Chao Su exclaimed in a high pitched voice.

"Cut these introductions!" Piccolo suddenly called out, making the new comers jump since they hadn't noticed him. "They're here."

"What?" Tien said, looking in the sky. Sure enough, two figures floated above them, looking down on the six warriors. Gohan and Krillin started freaking out.

"Wow, that's them!" Gohan exclaimed. "This... this is incredible! What power! Wow!"

"Stay calm, Gohan," Piccolo advised. "Just remember your training." Gohan nodded.

The two Saiyans landed a few yards away from them. One was revealed to be a large, bald man while the other was shorter with hair that stuck straight up. "Is this all this planet has to offer?" the tall one said. "Where's Kakarott?"

"I don't know," the other answered, checking a device he had over one eye that the taller one also had. "These are the strongest people I can sense. Surely they weren't the ones who beat Radditz."

"Hey, Vegeta!" the tall one suddenly said, "there's that Namek we heard him talking about. Maybe he knows where he is."

"Good idea, Nappa," Vegeta replied. "Hey, you! Where is Kakarott!"

"Trust me," Piccolo answered. "He'll be here soon enough."

"Who's Kakarott?" Gohan whispered.

"That's what they call your father, now get ready, they could attack at any minute." Gohan looked around, and saw everyone else in fighting stances. He tried to enter one himself, but could help shaking.

"You can't let them know you're afraid," Piccolo said, seeing his student out of the corner of his eye. "That will make you an easy target. I'm sure that all these other weaklings are afraid, but they aren't showing it."

"O... okay," Gohan answered, trying to regain himself.

"Well," the one called Vegeta started, "I think we should at least warm up with these insects, don't you agree?"

"Yeah, Vegeta, but, they'll hardly be a work out for us! Look at their fighting powers!"

"I know, but maybe we could use some of our little friends. Do you have any left?"

Nappa laughed viciously. "That's right! I forgot about the Saibamen! I've got seven with me, should I use them all?"

"Why not? This should be fun!" Nappa pulled out a small packet and planted seven small seeds in the ground.

"What are they doing?" Krillin asked, expressing everyone else's thoughts. The two aliens watched the ground with evil glints in their eyes. They were up to something.

Suddenly, out of the ground where they were planted, a hand popped up, followed quickly by six more. The Z senshi watched on in horror as the hands came out of the ground, and proved to be connected to seven little green men, each one looking just as evil as their creators.

"What are those things!" Yamcha exclaimed.

"These are Saibamen," Vegeta answered, smiling a little. "We use them when we don't want to get ourselves dirty during easy battles. And they each have the same fighting power as Radditz!"

Fear crossed the faces of all of our heroes. "Oh no," Tien said. "This isn't good! What should we do?"

"I'm scared, Tien!" Chao Su said.

"It's very simple," Piccolo replied, looking back at the people who once cowered at just the sound of his name. "We'll each fight one, kind of like a tournament. How does that sound to you?"

"Sounds good!" Nappa answered, laughing. "It'll be great watching just one of these little guys finish all of you off!"

"I'll go first," Krillin whispered. "It'll be better to get rid of someone like me in case they're stronger than we think."

"No, I will," Yamcha replied. "Remember, Krillin, you've all ready been wished back with the Dragonballs, but I haven't. I'll test these guys out for us."

"So, you want to be the first to be sent to the next dimension?" Nappa taunted.

"Cut it Nappa, this isn't Canada, it's a story!"

"Oh, sorry Vegeta! So, you want to be the first to die?" he corrected.

"We'll see who goes first," Yamcha retorted, getting ready for the first one to attack.

"You!" Vegeta exclaimed, referring to a Saibaman just off to his left. "You will fight first! Now, go finish this fool off!" The strange plant man nodded and readied himself for battle. They stared at each other for a long time.

"So, are you gonna make the first move, freak?" Yamcha finally said, intimidatingly. The Saibaman looked extremely angry and, for some strange reason, verified what Yamcha said by attacking.

I hate trying to write battles. They're hard to explain and most of these battles are on the show so you all know what happens. If you're not sure, here's a summary. Yamcha, after defeating his first opponent was kamikazied to death by the second Saibaman, Chao Su failed in his own kamikaze on Nappa, and Tien sacrificed himself in the same means, sort of. But pretty much they died.

Krillin was freaking out. "Oh no!" he said after watching these three attempts that I didn't write, "where's Goku when you need him! We're doomed without him!"

"We need to hold on," Piccolo replied. "As long as we can hold them down, there's a chance of us defeating them somehow."

"M-Mr. Piccolo," Gohan said, nervously, "how can we beat them? And where's my daddy? Those other three guys are gone, what are we gonna do!"

"Calm down, kid, I've got a plan, just listen to me for a minute..."

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"You've got it down?" Piccolo finished, looking at his two team mates. "Now, Gohan, you need to stay strong. You have to follow through on your part no matter what happens to me and Krillin. You can't be afraid."

The child swallowed hard. "Got it, Mr. Piccolo."

"All right, let's go." The three turned to face the waiting Saiyans, who had no idea what was going on.

"So, which one of you wants to join your other friends first?" Nappa said once he realized they had stopped conferring.

"You!" Krillin exclaimed, leaping into the air and preparing to launch an attack. While the tall bald man was distracted by the shorter one, Piccolo quickly came behind him and grabbed his tail, a Saiyans only real weakness.

Nappa looked over his shoulder and nailed Piccolo in the head. "What do you think you're doing?" he said, wondering why the Namek was trying to scratch his back.

"What! No way!" Krillin exclaimed, once again freaking out. "Why didn't it work? It always worked on Goku!"

"You fools!" Vegeta replied, suddenly realizing what was going on. "Why would warriors of our status still have that silly weakness?"

Gohan looked like he was about to fall apart. "Man, now what?" he thought. "Should I still try to attack him? But Mr. Piccolo didn't hurt him like he was supposed to! I wish my dad was here!"

Nappa, knowing that the green man was temporarily out of commission, turned to the other fighter who had appeared to be attacking him. "So, are you going to try anything?" Krillin was still freaking out. "Hmm, I guess not. Care to experience the power you thought could be paralyzed just by grabbing my tail?"

Without waiting for a response, Nappa launched into the air and whacked the last man on the battle field behind the head. Krillin hit the ground, unable to move, leaving Gohan as the only standing member of the Z senshi and making really strange faces.

"So, what should I do with these guys, Vegeta?" Nappa said, looking at the disabled trio. "I know I should save the Namek, but what about these other two?"

"Don't worry," Vegeta replied.

"Huh?"

"Think about it. If the Nameks can make Dragonballs here, there have to be some on their home planet!"

"Oh, you're right! I guess I'll just finish them all off, then. Why don't I start with you, my little green friend?"

Without realizing it, Gohan somehow found his courage just then. "Piccolo, get out of there!" he exclaimed. "We won't be able to wish any of the others back if you're gone!" In shock, Piccolo and Krillin both managed to lift their heads and Nappa turned his attention to the small child whom he had totally forgotten about.

"All right, kid," he said, getting an evil grin on his face. "If you're that worried, I'll start with you!" Nappa charged at the quivering little boy, who didn't seem to be as brave as he was a few seconds earlier. Suddenly, Gohan dodged the fighting giant and returned to the area he had just been while giving Nappa a kick square in the head. He was sent flying into a rock.

"Yes!" Krillin managed to say. "Get him... Gohan..."

Gohan was in shock, not really realizing what he had just done. Nappa pulled himself out of the rubble, mildly injured and enraged. "Why you little... you'll pay for that!" he exclaimed, powering up for a giant blast. Gohan was too scared to run away.

Piccolo realized what was going on. As Nappa finished making the beam, he also realized that the boy wouldn't be moving any time soon.

Nappa fired. Krillin hid his face. Gohan was frozen. Piccolo tried to pull himself up. He suddenly flashed back to when he first brought the scared little boy to this place for training only a year earlier, his transformation into that beast, how he managed to improve on his own, and then their battle training. It all seemed to flash in front of his eyes like the light coming from the beam Nappa was firing at Gohan.

He didn't know where the energy came from, but Piccolo started running. "I can't let it end like this," he thought. "He's come so far in such a short time. He has so much potential. Plus, I promised him..." He again thought back to the last twelve months, this time to that night when they were around the camp fire. Gohan was being his innocent little self, and Piccolo had told him, well, not up front, but he had promised that he wouldn't let anything happen to him.

"I won't break it!" he muttered. "I can't let this happen!"

Gohan was still stuck in place, his arms covering his face to ward off the impending doom. Nappa laughed maniacally.

Suddenly, the light was muffled. Gohan peered over his hands and saw... Piccolo!

Krillin looked up in amazement. Nappa and Vegeta were both too surprised to react in any way. Piccolo was taking on the blast, throwing himself in front of death for Gohan.

The light from the beam grew brighter, then finally faded into the clear day that it had started as. Piccolo lay at the end of a huge crevice in the ground, breathing hard and covered in blood. Gohan remained frozen for a second more in his utter surprise, and then rushed over to his ailing teacher.

"Piccolo," Gohan mumbled softly, looking at his injuries, "why did you..."

"Don't worry about it, kid," he replied with the last of his strength. "You've done well in this short time... Sorry things had... to happen... like this... Just... wish me back, okay?" With that, Piccolo breathed his last.

Gohan sat there wide eyed. "No," he said quietly, then burst out crying, "PICCOLO!"

The End


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